In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History Month. In doing so, he called on Americans to remember “the often-neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Unfortunately, our Catholic Church has also often ignored the accomplishments, and holiness, of Black Catholics in America. Thanks be to God, we now can celebrate six American Catholics on the road to sainthood, as the Church has officially recognized their heroic leadership and holiness in living their Catholic faith, while facing rejection and hatred that most of us cannot imagine. Sadly, the racism faced by these holy men and women is still present in our country. Racism raises its sinful head when we ignore the fundamental truth that we ALL share a common origin and are created in the image and likeness of God. At times, racism is very deliberate and takes the form of sinful acts of violence, desecration, the display of hate symbols and vile words of cruelty.
Often, however, racism is more subtle. For example, the subconscious attitude of superiority and how certain groups of people can be perceived as dangerous or not capable of contributing to society as a whole. Racism can also be systemic and institutional and ingrained in the culture of a business, government or church organization. In their pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called for a “genuine conversion of heart, a conversion that will compel change, and the reform of our institutions and society.”
As we celebrate Black History Month, we need to recognize the particular racial injustice experienced by Black Americans throughout the course of our history. When the country was formed, Africans were bought and sold as mere property and were subject to all kinds of violence for generations. It is by God’s amazing grace that Black men and women could rise up from the hatred they experienced to be become models of faith, love and forgiveness for all of us to emulate. Six men and women did rise up, and are on the way to sainthood in our Church.
Servant of God Julia Greeley: a former slave who devoted her life to the promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart and to service of poor; Servant of God Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange: a model of holiness in times of plague and racial strife; Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman: a prophetic voice for the modern Church in the United States who preached the Gospel to clergy and laity alike; Venerable Father Augustus Tolton: who was born a slave and overcame many obstacles to become the first African American priest in the United States; Venerable Mother Henriette Delille: who overcame racism and prejudice, and as a professed religious sister, dedicated her life to the service of slaves, the sick and the forgotten; and Venerable Pierre Toussaint: a freed slave, born in Haiti, who gave his life for the poor of New York.
These six Black Catholics are part of Catholic and American history for their heroic example of goodness and holiness. All Americans, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, can learn from and be inspired by their lives.
Together, we pray that the conversion of hearts that our bishops called for in their pastoral letter can become a reality, and that we heed the call of the Prophet Micah: “Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Mi 6:8)
To pray for racial healing and justice, I invite you to a special Holy Hour for Racial Justice at 2 p.m., Feb. 26 at Saint Bartholomew Church, 751 Kaighns Ave., Camden. There is parking available in the back of the church. All are welcome.
Father Guest is pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, and coordinator of the Black Catholic Ministry Commission and the diocesan Racial Justice Commission.
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
